When summer hits the Wood River Valley, weekend trips to Redfish Lake Lodge often ensue. This weekend, the classic mountain retreat south of Stanley celebrates 80 years in operation.
A celebration will include a free live music show with mandolin player Carrie Rodriguez and the band Bearfoot on Sunday, July 12. In addition, the band Headwaters will play at the lodge tonight, July 10, from 6-9 p.m.
"The idea of Redfish Lake Lodge has not changed," said owner and general manager Jeff Clegg. "We have owned if for 11 years and the same idea of families coming and folks sitting out on the porch or enjoying a campfire with a harmonica still exists from 1929, when the lodge was first constructed."
Clegg said he has very strong stewardship for the lodge, and he is excited to celebrate what is a unique Idaho treasure. A DVD and book have been created to celebrate the lodge's history.
"We will shift the stage around on Sunday and will give lake tours on the hour every hour for $8," Klegg said. "The theme for the weekend is '80,' and we will have anniversary specials such as 80-cent soft-serve ice cream at the gazebo, and 80-cent beers, as well as store specials, restaurant and bar specials, and a raffle drawing."
Rodriguez is on a summer tour that includes several stops in Idaho, including Redfish Lake Lodge and The Mint in Hailey. She is a rising star who has played in the valley with Chip Taylor, a big inspiration to her career.
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"Playing in smaller towns are the most rewarding gigs," Rodriguez said. "People in small towns don't get to see lots of live music. Three-year-olds can dance in front and grandparents can sit in the back in lawn chairs."
Rodriguez plays a slick-looking steel mandolin, which she found in a Gibson guitar show room in Austin, Texas, where she grew up. She makes her home in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"It's a four-string mando bird shaped like a firebird, which is an old Gibson guitar," she said. "I am the queen of unique instruments. I play anything that has four strings."
Expect to hear original Rodriguez tunes as well as some covers from Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
Events schedule
Sunday, July 12
· Music from Stanley presents Carrie Rodriguez with Bearfoot at Redfish Lake Lodge, 4-8 p.m. Free.
Tuesday, July 14
· Carrie Rodriguez with Tift Merritt at The Mint in Hailey. Doors open 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door, available at Note's Music in Hailey and Atkinsons' in Ketchum and Hailey.
Redfish Lake Lodge under construction in 1929. Photo by
